Ashley Daugherty

Gloriosa Daisy

2011-07-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

For several months now I've not worked on any art projects. I blame losing my inspiration from the flood, severe storms, sudden move, plumbing issues and other unexpected happenings.

But when the wild flowers I planted started to bloom I got the itch to start painting. First painting is of a Gloriosa Daisy. I fell in love with it's bright red petals that fade into yellow tips. As I complete each flower the original will be for sale in my etsy shop until it's sold. There will not be any prints making each flower painting the only one in the world.

Also, during my time away I got to enjoy the joys of summer. Found a baby turtle crossing the road on my way home from work one day. Named the little guy Sheldon after one of my favorite shows Big Bang Theory. But ended up deciding not to keep him since he was going to be a lot of work. So I released him in a stream by my house and I think Sheldon appreciated it. Wish I could have recorded him taking off into the water.

Then the 13 year cicadas appeared in June. I found them so fascinating with their red eyes and golden wings. I loved going out in the mornings and listen to them sing. I heard one person say they sounded like The War of the Worlds. haha! To bad the little guys are gone for another 13 years. But some are to appear again as the 17 year cicadas. I can't wait!

Plan on posting again really soon! Stay cool in this summer heat!

Summer is finally here

2011-05-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it's finally turning summer and it's hard passing up a chance to going outside in the sun. In the past I've always had a small herb garden but I'm starting to expand. My favorite plants to look at is the purple cabbage plants. The leafs are green with bright purple veins. So beautiful! We also have two peach trees and grape vines in the backyard. So I'm really hoping to learn how to make peach preserves this summer!

Besides the wonderful outdoors I've been distracted reading "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George R. R. Martin. I've completed the first book of the series "A Game of Thrones" and have move on to the second book. They are considered epic fantasy novels and George isn't afraid to kill off his characters. I find myself wanting to jump in to the book to help my favorite characters through some of their struggles. George is such a wonderful writer I don't know how I'll be able to find another book series after I'm done that is so good.

Also, one of my favorite films is "Blood Tea and Red String" By Christine Cegavske. It's a stop-motion fairy tale for adults. It took Christine 13 year to make this film on her own home. I find the film so inspiring as an artist and it helps remind me there is so much I can do that I haven't touched yet.

Christine Cegavske is seeking funds on Kickstarter.com to begin filming "Seed in the Sand!" This will be the second film in her animated trilogy. I think this film is going to be so amazing and I can't wait to see it! Click here to become a backer of Seed in the Sand

Plus, I don't have any new artwork to show right now beside some nature sketches. I've been working on ideas for a future website and the direction I want my artwork to go in. Hopefully in a couple months if not sooner I'll be posting a link to my website with my work. It makes me nervous and excited to talk about it since it so early. But until then I hope to post sneak picks and sketches of what's going on.

The Napping Goblin

2011-04-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Napping Goblin has been sticking with me for a couple years now. The idea started out as a sketch and then was painted on an ACEO card as shown above. Lucky winner Micki from Irish Muses won the ACEO card back in February for the One Heart One Heart Event. So this past week I decided to explore with the napping goblin again on a larger scale.

Stage 1: Drawing out the idea with pencil.

Stage 2: Finish painting the background and moving to the tree.

Stage 3: Starting to add a little green to the leafs and branches.

Stage 4: Napping Goblin starting to come to life.

Stage 5: Making the final touches.

Stage 6: Finished piece.

I'm happy the way the painting turned out so this may be the last time I paint The Napping Goblin. Doing the idea larger I was able to add more detail like adding spirits to the tree.

Since the post is about napping I thought I'd share a picture I took recently of my house cat. T spends most of her day laying on top of my dresser during the day to sun bathe. I pull the curtains around the dresser like a canape so she has privacy. She is such a good kitty.

Reflections in the Mystic Mirror

2011-04-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

One of my goals this year is to find my artist niche. A lot of soul searching and creativity has been in the works. Digging into my childhood and going through old sketch books has been a lot of fun. I'm starting to take old sketches and getting them ready to be paintings. The "Reflections in the Mystic Mirror" painting below was originally an idea in one of my old sketch books.

Stage 1: Sketching out the idea with pencil.

Stage 2: Using watercolor to make a dreamy background. I use blue painters tape to prevent bleeding. Plus, it's not as sticky so it doesn't tear the paper after your finished.

Stage 3: Finish painting.

I think this is a good start on what direction I'd to go. I'd get focused while painting and would forget to take more pictures. Next weeks WIP will be better!

Also, one of my close friends has started a fashion blog called "Pretty & Prudent" where she shares her fashionable finds on the cheap! I'm amazed by the great products and cloths she can find sometimes under $5.00!!! I've done told her we need to go on a shopping date to help me out. So if you have time go over to "Pretty & Prudent" and see what deals she has found here lately. Be ready to be shocked.

Red Moon

2011-03-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is my latest watercolor painting. I've decide to start focusing a little more on my "Duster" Characters I made sculptures of years ago. I had a dream recently of a red moon and decided to portray that dream into this painting. Hope you enjoy my work in progress below!

First sketched out the idea on paper.

Second finishing of the night sky.

Third the landscape is coming alive.

Forth beginning to paint the cliff.

Fifth Red Moon painting is complete.

I'm in love with the night sky in this painting. Finishing this painting has got me excited to start my next one. What I get from this painting is the Dusters are on another planet a lot like earth. They have four moons unlike earth only has one. A lot of times the red moon is considered a lot of things depending on your belief. In this case it's positive since it only rises when the birth of the Dusters has arrived. Hope you like it!

Getting back in gear!

2011-03-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

With couple of weeks away from my last post I'm hoping this will be the start of getting back in gear. On Feb 28th I celebrated my Birthday. Two years from thirty and I'm okay with that. All I wanted for my Birthday was to spend time with my family. But I got my favorites Chicken' Dumplings and pumpkin cheesecake by my wonderful mother and mother-in-law. Then my hubby surprised me with gorgeous yellow lilies! I must say I had a great Birthday!

Then I found out this past weekend that my brother and sister-in-law are expecting their first baby in August! I'm going to be a aunt! So big congratulations to them!

The watercolor painting I'm sharing above is of my father and mother-in-laws dog. I've been wanting to paint them something for really long time and finally did it.

I've been working on new projects I plan to share really soon. Also, with long consideration I've decided to not to any custom work for a while. I love doing custom work to bring happiness to others. But with me wanting to focus on where I want my artwork to go in the next year all customs will have to be on the back burner. I've had to turn down customs here lately and felt really bad. But my inspiration right now is only on what I would like to achieve.

The Black Wave...

2011-02-19T14:08:00.000-08:00

Well, after a couple of weeks of not working on any art projects I'm getting back into painting and sculpting! I'm not sure if it was an artist block, the winter blues or just a must needed break.

So in the last few weeks I've enjoyed re-reading the Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. The last and final book "Shadow Fever" came out January 18th and the book is just as great as the first four books. I recommend the series to anyone that loves urban fantasy. A big "Thank You!" to my friend Gretchen for recommending the series to me! Now, I've started the book Cleopatra: A Life By Stacy Schiff! I feel some inspiration for a doll coming soon.

Besides art projects I have a passion for trying new recipes and experimenting with food. Last weekend I made cupcakes from the cookbook "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World!" My sweet-tooth was humming with all the great cupcake recipes in this book. I made the classic vanilla with mocha icing! Yum!

Then I've completed a new painting in the last few week too. I just started working on a mock ball-jointed doll and plan to share pictures soon. It's defiantly going to be trial and hopefully not much error. haha! So I've got some interesting post coming and new WIPs!

OWOH Winners!

2011-02-17T10:33:00.000-08:00

First would like to thank everyone that was part of the One Heart, One World Event this year! I had a blast checking out blogs and I still haven't got through all of them. It's nice to meet people all around the world!

Now to the 3 lucky prize winners!

Micki from Irish Muses

Lisa from Pear Avenue Studios

Michelle from The Mouse Pad

Congratulations to the winners! I'll be contacting you to get your information and everyone else please check back for future giveaways!

One World One Heart 2011

2011-01-31T07:49:00.000-08:00

So you can learn a little about me I'd like to welcome you to my blog! My name is Ashley Daugherty and I'm a painter/art doll artist living in Kentucky, USA. I'm still on a journey to find my own style! So I carrying a sketchbook with me so when an idea hits me I can write it down quickly. I also love learning about new techniques that I may can use in future art projects. Beside doing artwork I really enjoy cooking and reading books.

Above are 3 ACEO paintings I'm giving away as door prize to all active bloggers worldwide! Just leave a comment on this post with a way for me to contact you and visit your blog!

On February 17th I will use a random number generator choose the 3 lucky winners!

One World One Heart 2011 Worldwide Event!

2011-01-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be participating in the One World One Heart Event from Jan. 30th - Feb. 17th. The purpose for this event is to make friends near and far through the world of blogging and finding a common thread. It doesn't matter if your a fellow artists, writers, photographers, stay-at-home Mom....whatever your commonality may be you are welcome to this event!

I'll be giving away a door prize that is open to all active bloggers worldwide! Check back on Jan. 30th to see pictures and get chance to win the door prize!

For more information about the event and click the banner above!

Salvador Dali WIP Part 2

2011-01-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a great start to the new year!

This is Part 2 of my WIP of the challenge called "Copy the Masters." Picture above is the front of Dali's head with the sculpting complete. The front of Dali's head took me a lot longer to finish with all the details I wanted to add.

Now the complete Salvador Dali head all finished!

Front View

Back View

There are 6 elements that can be enjoyed from all angles from 6 of Dali's paintings. The sculpture is about 5 1/2" tall. I'm really happy with the completed piece and I hope everyone likes it. This sculpture is going to look great sitting on my coffee table for me to enjoy. hehe! Well, until he goes to his new home. I'll be putting up for sale in my etsy store this week. Happy New Year!

Salvador Dali WIP Part 1

2010-12-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

Art Dolls Only is having a quarterly challenge called "Copy the Masters" from Oct.-Dec. I'm a little behind with all the holiday shopping going on. So I decided take some of Salvador Dali's paintings and turn it into my own. I choose Salvador Dali since his paintings are so interesting to look at.

First is a my sketches of Salvador Dali's head. My idea for this sculpture is that you can view it in a full circle. I took different elements from several paintings to make a collage on Dali's head.

Second I decided to start with the back since I felt it would be faster for me to finish sculpting. Using polymer clay and sculpting tools I've got the first stage of the back done. To make the tree foliage I used a inexpensive tooth brush I picked up at Wal-Mart. The tooth brush gave trees the texture I was going for and it should look really cool when I start applying different colors of paint.

Third is the beginning stages of Dali's face. I've got a lot of sculpting to do on Dali's face. Adding all the elements from the sketch will take me a while to complete. But so far I'm happy with the way it's coming along.

Christmas GIveaway Winners!

2010-12-11T11:20:00.000-08:00

I want to thank everyone for participated in my first giveaway and left a comment. I love reading how everyone like to spend their Christmas.

Here are the generator results!

1st place goes to comment # 7: Noelia

2nd place goes to comment # 4: Pattee

3rd place goes to comment # 3: The Hermits' Garden

Congratulation to the winners! Please email me at ardaug@gmail.com with your mailing information. You should receive your brooches right before Christmas to show off on your winter coats or sweaters.

Ornament Sale!

2010-12-08T10:52:00.000-08:00

Starting today December 8th at 1:00 (Central) - Sunday December 12 you can get $10 off any of my Christmas Ornaments!

Above is a preview of what it will look like at my etsy store.

Merry Christmas!

Don't forget to sign up for a free Snowman Brooch! Link is below!

Christmas Giveaway

Christmas Ornament Swap!

2010-12-03T09:56:00.000-08:00

For the last two years the Art Dolls Only Team have been doing a Christmas Ornament Swap. This was my first year to get to participate and I had a blast. I was lucky to get Jan Bush-Wood in this years swap.

In my last month post you've been getting to see the progress of my Christmas ornaments. When I got the ornaments done I decided to send Jan one of my little angels to watch over her from her tree.

A week later I came home to find a wonderful surprise on my door step. I ripped opened the box with excitement to find this awesome Tim Burton inspired snowman by Jan! Isn't he just the coolest snowman ever! I have him hanging on the front of my Christmas tree for everyone to see. Thank you so much Jan! I deeply cherish this spooky little snowman!

Please check out Jan's wonderful work at her blog lucysbaby.blogspot.com

Don't forget you got till December 11th to comment on my last post "Christmas Giveaway" to get a chance to win one of my Christmas Brooches!

Christmas Giveaway

2010-11-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

I decided to do a Christmas Giveaway this year! This is my first giveaway to show my appreciation to everyone that follows my blog, leaves comments or just has discovered my work!

The drawing is open to all. I will choose 3 winners by a random number generator. The winners will win one of the three brooches shown below.

1st Place: Grouchy Snowman

2nd Place: Winter Hat Snowman

3rd Place: Surprised Snowman

~How to Enter~

Entry #1 - Just leave a comment below with how your family likes to celebrate Christmas or just a simple hello.

Entry #2 - Post this giveaway on one of your social networks like facebook, blog, or twitter. Then paste the link below in your 2nd entry comment.

~December 11th all entries will be closed at 12 p.m. Central Time~

If for some reason you are unable to leave a comment , just send me an email with your name and "Christmas Giveaway" as the subject (ardaug@gmail.com). I will gladly add it to the comment section :)

Happy Christmas Giveaway Everyone!

The Wandering Kind

2010-11-21T10:18:00.000-08:00

This past week I was able to get all my animal theme ornaments finished and in my etsy store. These ornaments are non-traditional with a whimsical touch and are measure from 6" to 6 1/2" in height.

Gordon the Billy Goat and Daisy the Lamb.

Doe's Lily and Bell.

Peter the Rabbit

Mouse Magician, Frank, and Carrie the Witch Mouse.

I'm still planning on doing a Christmas Giveaway! I hope to have it up this week so everyone can start entering.

Plus, I've got my next project sketched out for the Art Dolls Only "Copy the Masters" Challenge. I'm taking the artist's work and turning it into my own. I plan to get started on it today and will be showing WIP's from beginning to end. Here's a hit, "Burning Giraffe."

What would you like to see in my blog?

2010-11-10T10:12:00.000-08:00

I'm setting out a goal to plan out next years creative projects and useful content to share. I would love it everyone would leave a comment on what you would like to see more or less of on my blog.

For example:

Interview another artist or crafter that I admire.

Share pictures of my work from start to finish.

Blog about the inspiration behind my art.

Sketches from my journal.

All answers will be helpful for my next years planning! Also, don't forget about my etsy shop update this Saturday Nov, 13th with new ornaments!

Shop Update Nov 13th!

2010-11-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

All of the Christmas theme ornaments are finished! The new ornaments will be in my etsy shop this Saturday Nov. 13th around noon!

First Mr. and Mrs. Claus will be sold as a set. Selling them to different homes just wouldn't be right. Mr. Claus size is 9" tall and Mrs. size is 7 1/2"

Meet three of Santa's little helpers Ed, Ty and Patricia. I like to think of them being as grumpy, mischievous and the sweetheart. Size 7 1/2" Tall

The styling snowmen Charlie, Neil and Zachary. Watch out for Zachary he's a Yo! Ho! Ho! Pirate! Size 6" Tall

Last two is Anna and Kaley the Christmas angels. My inspiration for these angels were from my angel halloween costume has a child. Size is 6"-6 1/2" tall.

I'm still working on eight animal theme ornaments that I'm trying to get done before Saturday. If not, I'll post again when these ornaments will be for sale.

Also, I'm planning a Christmas giveaway this year!! Please follow me here at my blog, facebook or twitter for upcoming news so you can get a chance to win!

WIP Christmas Ornaments

2010-10-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

Since the last post I'm a few steps ahead on the Christmas ornaments.

All the painted details on their face and hands got finished Sunday night. I was excited to set back and look at them!

During the week I drew out the anatomy of the ornaments bodies. This way I could get an idea how large they are going to be. Depending on the ornament it could be from 7 to 9 inches tall.

In this picture I'm using Mrs. and Mr. Claus as an example of the WIP creating armature and wrapping it in polyfil. Some of the characters like Santa and the elves will have hair and hats. I don't apply any of those materials until their clothing is complete. I've found that doing this last is best since the hair gets in the way.

This weekend I've got all the ornaments to the point I can start making their cloths! So by the next post I should have pictures of some of them complete. I plan to have my first shop update in November.

Recently I discovered a band called Fleet Foxes. It's one of those bands for me when I first heard them the music just spoke to me. So I thought I'd share one of their music videos called "White Winter Hymnal." I picked this video because of the fact they used art dolls and still motion.

Elves, Snowmen and Santa Heads! Oh my...

2010-10-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm working hard on several new art doll ornaments. Some will fit the Christmas theme being elves, snowmen, and possibly a few Santa's too. Then living in the country I'm working on some animal characters.

So far I've only got there heads sculpted and plan to start making arms and legs this week. Then I'll be able to move into painting them to bring them to life. My husband told me his was a little freaked out seeing all the little heads lying around. Haha!

On a non doll related note I wanted to share a picture of a vegan egg muffin I made! Yes, there is "no" animal product in the breakfast sandwich. I found a recipe where you use tofu for the egg and smoked soy provolone cheese. I know some people think tofu and are grossed out. But this sandwich was awesome! I didn't even miss the egg!

Nevermore

2010-10-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

It's October! A month for scary movies and for things to go bump in the night. So my recent painting "Nevermore" is inspired by "The Raven" poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. This painting fits perfect for this months post. This painting is part of a series of paintings I'm slowly working on.

Above are pictures of "Dreams & Depression" and "Last Breath" from the series.

PJ The Medieval Minstrel

2010-09-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

Animals in human clothing always makes me smile. I've been playing with painting animals in human situations. So far the self-portrait of PJ has been the best one so I thought I'd share.

When painting PJ I pictured him as an Medieval Minstrel. I couldn't help from smiling and laughing from time to time while painting his self-portrait.

This is PJ a very small Shitzu that I like to think of him as Courage the Cowardly Dog. One of my favorite cartoons ever that use to play on Cartoon Network.

I'm hoping to do more portraits like this on of PJ. So I'm looking for more animals for inspiration. If you have a pet you would let me turn into a portrait please send me a picture. Also, send me your address and when I get the painting finished I'll mail you a small print of you pet's portrait as a thank you.

Mad World

2010-09-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

One of my focal points with my work is to start making self-portraits. Expressing myself on paper won't be easy but it will be fun to see the out come.

This is my second self-portrait called Mad World. I love monochromatic or complementary color schemes. Using dark shades of blue helped show the darkness I wanted to pull off in this painting.

Death is the main focus since all living beings experience it. Only difference in our deaths is how it will happen. But I think we all are in hope that our journeys will come to a end with fulfillment.

The death in this painting looks like a murder or that my body is being dissected. Parts of my body are scattered around an open field as stormy clouds pass above. Someone's mysterious hand reaching into my mind and pulling out memories. What are they looking for? What will they gain when they find it? Or is this my judgment day to see if I can make it into heaven?

Creativity & Paintings

2010-09-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

It amazes me how the creative process works. I could be doing any of my normal daily activities and a idea will pop up randomly. For a decade now I've carried a sketchbook with me at all times incase a idea pops up. Of course some are really bad and some I hope to eventually get to create out of some type of media.

So for the last few weeks I've been focused on doing paintings and I thought I'd share a few.

First Painting is called "Caged." I've painted my head on a blue birds body trapped inside a cage. On the outside is a vulture blocking my escape. I don't know if I really need to explain the idea behind the painting. But if so, I think on daily bases (people in general) we feel trapped sometimes and would like to escape. The vulture is what stands in our way to our dreams

Second Painting is called "Tree of Life." I really don't know what inspired this idea. I ended up sketching a tree at first. Then I started adding baby fetuses as if they are flowers. Beautiful in a strange way.

Third Painting titled "Poppies." Besides the stargazer lilies I really love poppy flowers of all colors.

Last Painting titled "Shell of Cicada." One of those familiar objects that I associate with summer. In July and August you can find these shells all over trees in Kentucky.

This week I received some Premier Stone Clay that I wanted to try out possibly for my next doll. Since I've started dolls I've only work with polymer clays that have to be baked after being sculpted. Premier Stone Clay air dries so it's going to be a new medium I'm excited to try. New doll WIPs are coming!

Frida Kahlo Complete

2010-08-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

Frida Kahlo Doll is complete! It's been so much fun making her for the Art Dolls Only July Mini Challenge. Making her I was able to learn a lot about the life of Frida. She was a very amazing women and artist. Frida has inspired me in new ways that I hope will come out in my future paintings.

This is the color palette that I put together to make her clothing and accessories. Some of materials did and didn't make it in the end.

I was going to make her dress a simple white dress. But I started going though all my fabric and I came across this pretty fabric with roses. To me the fabric screamed Frida at first and as I made the dress I had my doubts. But in the end I'm happy I stuck with the material.

A hidden treasure to the doll is the sides of her shoes. They are representations of two of her famous paintings. The shoe on the left is called "Mexican Wedding" and is a portrait of Diego Rivera and Frida. Shoe on the right is called "What the Water Gave Me" and is one of my favorites of Frida's paintings.

"I paint self-portraits because I am the subject I know best." - Frida

Frida Kahlo Continued

2010-07-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

"Painting completed my life.” - Frida

The quote above came from the film Frida with the beautiful Salma Hayek. I was able to purchase the movie and a documentary of Frida's life at my local video store. Watching these films I'm searching for more inspiration in completing the art doll.

First picture to the left is Frida's armature wrapped in polyfill. This will give her a soft body allowing her to be posed. Second picture to the right is the body sewn up with a body stocking that some doll artist use to make cloth art dolls.

Above is three stages of Frida's shoes and socks sculpted out of polymer clay. I'll be adding shoelaces to them next. I came up with the idea of painting two of Frida's paintings on the side of her shoes. Hopefully this turns out so I can post pictures on my next post. :)

Last is a shot of her face and hand. I have some touching up still on her face. But I wanted to show the spirit in the face is starting to come alive. One of my favorite parts in making dolls.

Frida Kahlo

2010-07-17T10:06:00.000-07:00

This month the art dolls only group is doing a mini challenge of Frida Kahlo art dolls. Which is perfect since Frida would be 103 years old this month. I find Frida very inspiring from her work and life. She suffered from spinal problems which caused her to be bedridden and she continued to paint often in pain until her death. If you look at her work she shows her life experiences through her paintings. I find this amazing and I'm touched when I look at her work.

So I've begin to work on a art doll of Frida Kahlo. She's only at the beginning stages which I'm hoping I can get her done my the end of the month.

I'm really focusing on making my dolls better than the one I made before. So in hope that in years to come my sculpting and doll making skills will improve. I wanted to share a up close picture of Frida's lovely hands so far. This might sound crazy but I love making hands and feet for my dolls. Some people would say they hate making them. But I think hands and feet are one of the human bodies beautiful features. They help us with our daly activities to make our lives easier.

My Workspace

2010-07-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

Today I'm sharing a couple pictures of my workspace where all the dolls come to life. We just recently moved and I finally got the motivation to start unpacking and organizing the area. Doing this has got me excited about some upcoming dolls I have in mind.

My work area is very small as you can see. But I surround myself with things that inspire me to work. The painting of the Stargazer Lily above the desk was done by me back 4 or 5 years ago. When my husband and I where dating this was the first flowers he surprised me with. So I felt obligated to paint a hug painting of one of the flowers to remind me of those early years of us together.

The bulletin board by my desk hasn't been covered very much. I've got a few pictures of favorite artist old and new like Kathe Kollwitz, Sarah Faber, Amy Brown, and Tanya Pshenychny. Also, inspirational letters, quotes or favorite musicians. As you can see on the picture to the right the napping goblin has found his spot by my art books. He told me he was dreaming me up some ideas that he'll sketch out for me soon.

The top right is of a art doll of a fairy that was made my Wendy Froud that I cherish. She is the one that inspired me to start making art dolls. The bottom right picture is of a needle felt of my deeply missed guinea pig Evey with her angel wings. It was created by the artist Theresa Whitmore.

Last a couple of shots of my art supplies that work with on a regular bases. I'll be getting started on dolls here soon and I'll be sure to share some of the process. I'm bad about getting all into creating that I forget to stop and take a couple of pictures. Until next time I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer.

My First Fan Mail

2010-06-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

I received my first fan mail with a thank you card with pictures of how Jack is loving his new home. All the dolls were so excited to see how Jack was doing too. Little Red and April held up the card and pictures for me to share with everyone. Thank you Tiffany for the card and pictures.

The act of inhaling air

2010-06-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

I've titled this blot "The act of inhaling air" since I've been taking a break from art projects to give my mind and hands a rest. Also, trying to gain some inspiration to get motivated to get back into creating.

So I've been reading The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm book with 279 stories. It's amazing how different the stories are from the ones I was told growing up. Grimm's is violent, dark, and really aimed for adults. There is a Art Doll Challenge for characters from The Brothers Grimm Stories coming up. So the stories are getting me pumped up for the challenge.

Other things I've been working on is getting outdoors a little more. It's so easy to get caught up in everyday life that I forget to step outside and enjoy my surroundings. We've got lots of little creatures wondering around the yard right now. As you see above our mischievous cat watching a morning visitor.

Here's a couple pictures of my sprouting herb garden, flowers and beautiful weeds that I walk by everyday.

My husband and I have made plans to spend time with family members this month. We are attending a Greek Festival, Baseball Game and a lot more. So I plan to take a lot of pictures to share. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer so far.

World of Warcraft Wedding Cake Topper

2010-05-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks have been a little crazy with my husband and I moving. So I'm finally getting a chance to share pictures of the finished WOW Wedding Cake Topper. Above is the picture that Mirjam sent me of her fiance and her characters from the game. She requested that her fiance's character, Nightlife, have a tux in his bear form.

Above is the completed cake topper couple.

Gnome Bride

Nightlife in his bear form and his handsome tux.

The cake topper was so much fun to make. I'm thankful that Mirjam was so understanding about it taking me longer than expected to get it finished. Thank you Mirjam for this great project! I want to wish your fiance and you a wonderful marriage full of love and happiness.

Wedding Cake Topper in Progress

2010-04-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

This week I'm sharing pictures of a custom wedding cake topper I'm working on right now. The figures are of the bride and groom's World of Warcraft character's from the game. I apologize since the lighting in these pictures are not the best.

First picture is of a group shot.

Nightlife in his bear-form. Mirjam requested that he have a suit.

The Gnome Bride.

The figures will come to life this week when I begin painting them. Since they are solid white I think it's hard to see the details. I hope to have more pictures by next weekend.

Meet Jack Skellington

2010-04-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

This morning I finished up an art doll of Jack Skellington from the film Nightmare Before Christmas. Making Jack was so much fun and leaving me wishing we had Halloween in March.

I love old horror films where you see the shadow of the villain approaching. So I tried pulling that off with Jack in the picture above.

Jack turned out to be 14" tall with bendable arms and legs. He's the tallest and skinniest doll I've done.

Jack is now on his way to Tennessee to be with his new mommy. He is accompanied by his pumpkin head friend above to make his trip more enjoyable. Thanks Tiffany for your support and giving me this opportunity. I hope you love Jack and his little pumpkin friend.

Jack will be the last art doll I'll be able to do for a while. My husband and I are in the process of boxing up our home to get ready to move in May. But I'm in the middle of working on a custom order of a wedding cake topper. It's going to be really cool and I can't wait to post pictures of the progress.

Jack in Progress

2010-03-27T20:23:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm working on a custom order art doll of Jack from Nightmare Before Christmas. Tiffany requested that Jack have a scary face. Since all of her memorabilia has Jack with a happy face. So I borrowed my brother's copy of Nightmare Before Christmas (I can't believe I don't own this film) and had an enjoyable watch. I even watched the bonus features of how the film was made.

Might sound crazy but as I watched the film I sketched Jack at different angles. I started doing this when I was old enough to hold a pencil watching my favorite cartoons. We didn't have TiVo back then so my little hand would draw my favorite DuckTales characters fast as it could go.

Talking about Disney what happened to Disney Sunday Movie nights in the 80's? I remember those great childhood days of laying on my stomach eating popcorn all excited. I even found the intro on YouTube and just watching it brought some of that childhood warmth to my heart.

April the Goblin

2010-03-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend I'm happy to introduce you to April the Goblin. She really went in her own direction from the sketch I posted a few weeks ago. This does happen from time to time when a creature from my imagination has a mind of their own.

Full view of April the Goblin

April loves to eat foods that are blue and purple. She told me this helps keep her beautiful blue glow. April also has a sweet tooth so if you leave around any cookies or cakes. Don't be surprised to come back to a empty container.

Close up view of April's shirt, hand and feet.

April is the first doll I've done a monochromatic scheme and I'm thinking I might try a few more dolls in the future. More goblins for sure since I have a small passion for their lovely pointy ears. If you are interested in giving April a new home you can find her in my etsy store.

Next doll in line is Jack from Nightmare Before Christmas. I was commissioned by a friend to make Jack since she's a big Halloween and Tim Burton fan. I plan to post pictures of Jack in progress in the next few weeks.

April the Goblin in Progress

2010-03-13T13:16:00.000-08:00

Like I promised here's a couple of pictures of April in progress. In my last post you got to see a drawing I sketched out of April that I'm going by to creating her. She is for the Art Dolls Only Monochromatic Mini Challenge this month. I'm really happy how she is coming along.

First two pictures are head shots of April.

Next two are close-ups of April's hands and feet.

Last is full shot of April's body.

As you can see April's arms and legs are going to be poseable. I finish fabricating her body while watching the movie Ponyo last night. Next step is going to be painting her face, hands and feet. Then begin getting her costume together.

I've drawn her wearing a dress and at the point I'm not sure if she'll have a dress or not. We'll see what April tells me she want to wear as I'm sewing the fabric together. Until my next post keep warm and I hope your have a great weekend.

Clarissa the Cat Girl

2010-03-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

I'd like everyone to meet Clarissa. She's was finished last night with all of her kittens. I had a great time making her little kittens to go around her feet.

This is a sketch of the next art doll "April the Goblin" that I'm getting started on today. April is going to be for my first ADO Mini Month Challenge. In this challenge we are to make a doll with a monochromatic color scheme. So April will be done in shades of blues. I'm going to try to post pictures of April in progress as she is being made. April will not have base like Clarissa and I plan for her to me a larger scale doll than what I've been doing lately.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and the sound of spring is in the air.

ADO Member Spotlight

2010-03-07T07:09:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful surprise this morning while eating my cranberry oatmeal. The ADO team has a new member spotlight every week and they picked me. I've only been a part of the team for a month now and I love it. You can checkout the article here.

I'm about to finish Clarissa the cat girl this weekend. Right now I'm working her little kittens that will be placed around her feet. I plan to post pictures by tomorrow. So check back.

Also, I'm going to be heading to the movie theater today to see Alice in Wonderland. I'm so excited to see what wonderful work Tim Burton has done once again. Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.

Luigi & Princess Daisy

2010-03-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

I just finished a custom order for a wedding cake topper of Luigi and Princess Daisy from Mario Brothers. It was so much fun doing this cake topper. I'm so glad I was able to help them with this and get one step closer to completing your wedding. Congratulations you two and I wish you a wonderful marriage of happiness and love.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 - May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other...

Artwork Prints

2010-02-27T20:37:00.000-08:00

I'm now going to have high quality prints available in my etsy store. I'm very happy with the way the prints have came out. Rich colors that look like the original painting. First two prints are of two of my recent paintings "Last Breath" and "Dreams & Depression." These are the first two painting of a series that I've started.

Good News & Meet Alice

2010-02-15T06:24:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I finished Alice in Wonderland. I'm so happy to share her with you this week. Alice is 7" tall and 4" wide including the base. She was created out of polymer clay, armature wire, foil, fabric for clothing, and acrylic paint for details.

The Cheshire Cat resting in Alice's arms is base off my tabby house cat.

If you notice on top of the mushrooms on the right you'll see a caterpillar resting. When I was a girl I would find swallowtail caterpillars outside around my home. They are such a neat looking caterpillar with markings on their head like eyes. I would carry them around and call them Kermit's. I was a fan of the Muppet's as you see. Haha! So I decided to make this caterpillar from one of my childhood memories. I found a lady with pictures she has taken of catapillar titled Gloriously Fat and Sassy (Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar). I still think they are an amazing creature.

To the bottom left of the base you'll also see a bottle with a label saying, "Drink Me." I about put a label coming from a mushrooms saying, "Eat Me." But I thought that it may be a little to much and most of us do know the story.

I have some good news. As of Feb 8th I'm part of the ADO (Art Dolls Only) Team. Yay! Being part of this team is going to be a blast. There are so many talented Art Doll Artist in this group. Some of the artist I was already familiar with and some I'm glad I'm getting to know now. So a lot of good things coming this next year.

The ADO Team has challeges set up through out the year. I was happy to see that Alice in Wonderland was going to be one of the challenges this year. So I'm thinking about puttng Alice in as my doll for this challege. Plus, I'm thinking since I have time I might go ahead and do a few more characters from the story. So I'll try to keep posting often on what fun is going on.

Winter Wonderland and New Dollies

2010-02-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

Well, the last couple of weeks have been a little crazy. We've have had winter storms with another one possibly on it's way. I was able to take a few pictures of the last snow to share.

I love seeing gray winter days like this and seeing ice sparkle like glitter on the tree branches. It was like being in a winter wonderland all alone.

____________________________________________________

I thought I'd share pictures of the two art dolls I'm starting on.

The first doll is going to be Alice in wonderland. I founds this beautiful blue leaf fabric to make her dress. I haven't decided what I'm going to place in her arm just yet.

The second doll is going to be Clarissa the cat girl. I'm going to make her a leopard print dress with a cat ear head band. When she's finished I'm going to have kittens all around her feet.

These little ladies still have a long ways to go. But I wanted to share some of my working progress.

Snowflakes are kisses from heaven.

2010-01-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

Here in Kentucky we just had our first big snow for the winter. It was below zero last night and we woke up to no hot water in our shower. Luckily by placing a small heater in the bathroom and the sun hitting that side of the house this afternoon the hot water works again.

The snow has been beautiful. But I'm so happy that it started melting away today. Long as it's not like the ice storm we had here last year. Where our electricity was out for about 3 weeks. I can live with all this snow.

I took a few pictures of our kitty sitting in her favorite place watching for birds in the snow. Our neighbors had filled their bird feeders before the snow. So our kitty was have a great weekend watching them.

I had to put up this picture of the bird feet prints in the snow.

Friday afternoon I picked up a little kitten for my mother. So, I got to kitten sit for the night and had a good time watching the little girl. She was so funny and such an explorer. Sadly our kitty wasn't to happy with us or the overnight guest. But the baby is at her new home and having a great time. She's took up with my mother's house dog and have become buddies.

Paintings and Drawings on the way!

2010-01-03T07:54:00.000-08:00

In the last couple of months I've been really focused on sculpting. I've decided to take a break from sculpting and begin working on a few ideas I've sketched out for paintings and drawings. Some of the paintings and drawings will be of landscapes, animals, flowers, creatures from my imagination, people or abstract. I'll try to post picture of some of the pieces as they are finished.

I'm also looking into getting some prints made too. This way if you don't want to pay the price of the original you have a cheaper option of buying a print. The prints will be a limited numbered amount with my signature. I've also thought about selling buttons, cards and postcards.

If anyone is reading this blog I have a few questions. Has anyone tried selling their art around their hometown or art fairs? How successful was it? Or do you have suggestion on selling art local? I've thought about building up enough artwork to try sitting up at a few local fairs this year. That way I can do a some self promotion and get myself out into the world. Plus, I can meet a few other local artist.

In case you are interested in commissioning me to do a sculpture. I will work on any custom orders of sculptures that anyone requests. When it gets closer to spring I'm going to start sculpting a little more.

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy New Year! I can't believe it's already 2010! The older I get the faster the years are flying by.

Merry Christmas Dad!

2009-12-23T14:54:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks have been crazy. It's Christmas eve and I planned to make so many more Christmas gift this year. But with me getting sick and my guinea pig Evey passed away a lot of projects got put on the back burner. In the last week my creativity has came back and I have finished a gift for my father.

My inspiration for this sculpture was of his two Airedales Buttons and Duchess. Buttons is the dog flying with a red cape. My father has a had a problem for the last year with her jumping over fences so she can be closer to him. I thought it would be so funny to have her like a super dog flying as Duchess watches her fly by.

I also put a small raccoon eating ears of corn in the back ground. The story behind this is my father planted Bodacious Hybrid Sweet Corn over the summer. Well, the night before he was going to harvest the corn a bunch of raccoons ate it all. He was so upset that I ended up joking with him about it being called bodacious. Corn with a name like that no wonder the raccoons ate it.

I want to wish everyone a wonderful and safe Christmas! I hope Santa brings you all kinds of goodies this year.

Santa and Flying Dogs are on their way...

2009-11-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

After recovering from visiting family on Thanksgiving and spending all day Friday cleaning house. I've got back to working on sculptures again. Right now I'm working on a few Christmas gifts I had in mind for some people. I thought I'd post a picture of a dog I'm currently working on. I'll tell more behind the story of this one when it's finished.

My husband and I have started watching the first season of Farscape. I've been wanting to see this show for over a year now. The Jim Henson Company decided to release the 4 seasons again on DVD this month. I got so... excited and I've been loving every episode. My favorite character that is shown to the left is Rygel XVI. But all the characters are great and if you love Fantasy Sci-Fi shows you should check it out.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T05:31:00.000-08:00

No matter how you spend your Thanksgiving... I wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. I'm ready for some of that dressing and pumpkin pie! Or if my mother-in-law made one this year a Pumpkin Cheesecake yum!

Beautiful Libby

2009-11-18T17:47:00.000-08:00

Tonight I finish a new custom of a beautiful Boston Terrier named Libby. I haven't done sculptures of pets in a while and I feel in love with this one. I've thought about doing just animal sculptures and paintings for a while now. But my muse is slowly guiding me where I need to be with my artwork. I guess we will see where it's going to take me in the next year.

Romantic Robotic Wedding

2009-11-12T17:58:00.000-08:00

It's been over a week since my last post so I felt it was time for an update. In the last couple of weeks I've been working hard on a Wedding Cake Topper of the computer-animated film WallE.
Emily asked for a Walle with a tux and Eve with a veil. She sent me gorgeous pictures of the colors Lapis Lazuli Blue and green she is using in her wedding. Then I incorporated those colors on to the cake topper. I think it turned out adorable and I hope that this cake topper helps complete her wedding dream.

The Napping Goblin

2009-10-29T17:01:00.000-07:00

I've posted a new art doll this week that I'm calling the Napping Goblin. I really loved how he turned out. Making cloths for my dolls is starting to become easier for me to make now. I'm still sewing all the cloths by hand. Which I plan at some point to start practicing with my sewing machine.

This will be my last doll for a while. Since I have a custom order to finish this weekend. Then I'm going to begin making a few Christmas gifts I have in mind. Can't say what since they might look at this post. But after Christmas I'll post share some pictures of what I did.

Tuesday night was a girls night out for me. One of my close friends and I went to see Hanson at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville, TN. We've been seeing them for 12 years in concert. It's a friendship tradition that's never going to die with us until they quit touring. We were right in front of the stage for the first time and it was the best one we've been to yet. The opening bands were Sherwood, Hellogoodbye and Steel Train.

Witches Have all the Fun

2009-10-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

The Wicked Witch Bust is included in a Etsy Treasury titled "I'll Get You My Pretty". The Witch is so popular this time of year and she's loving the attention. She's also has the most views in my store so far.

Thank you Christie for including me. Christie has a etsy store called "The Goblet" with some really cool jewelry. I put three pictures below of some of my favorite pieces in her store.

Teardrops On My Guitar

2009-10-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the lovely Olivia. She asked if I would make her a sculpture of one of her Heart Acoustic Guitars. I instantly feel in love with her guitars when I seen the pictures she sent. I've never seen acoustic guitars with the heart in the center. So cool!

Since this was the first guitar I have done. I didn't think out some of the small details. Like the tuning pegs and pickups until I got so far along. Thankfully on my desk I had my sewing pens laying. I start playing with the idea of the ends being the pickups and ta da! The magic happen and my creativity started flowing again.

I made the guitar out of polymer clay, armature foil, acrylic paint for details, sewing pins for the tuning pegs and pickups, string for the frets and a gloss finish. It's 6 inches at it's longest point.

Making this sculpture was a wonderful experience. Olivia was great to work with and allowed me to use her photo to show everyone the inspiration behind this tiny guitar.

I've also put up in my store a "Custom OOAK Sculpture" you can purchase. This allows you to commision me to create you a loved item of your choice like Olivia's Guitar for example. I'm always willing to work with you on pricing. So if you have something that you would like made contact me and I can see what I can do.

Three Little Pigs

2009-10-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I added The Three Little Pigs art dolls to my store. Doing my own version of the pigs was a must. Like every child I grew up loving several fairy tales.

I love all the pigs but I keep having favor to the House of Straw Piggy. Which I have to hide so I don't upset the other two pigs. There is something sweet about his face like he saying, "Please don't eat me big bad wolf."

Construction of the three pigs is hand-sculpted without molds. Their head, hands and feet are made from polymer clay. Their arms and legs are poseable with armature wire covered with polyfill and nylon fabric. Clothing was hand sewn from scrap fabrics and standing on a wood base.

Jack the Pumpkin Head

2009-10-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was very busy for me. Friday night my husband surprised me with tickets to see Ronny Cox. Actor/Folk singer that was in the famous dualing banjo scene in the movie Deliverance. I have not seen the film but I put the clip of the film below.

We had a great time and Ronny Cox has a great show. I think one of the funniest things Ronny asked is that Kentuckians where like people in Texas. Meaning you can say the most horrible things about someone but if you say "Bless her/his heart" afterwards it canceled out the bad stuff.

Then Saturday I finished up a new art doll named Jack. He was inspired by L.M. Baum's Wizard of Oz book series. Plus, it was perfect season for Jack to come around. He should be in my store for sale by the end of the week.

I also have two custom orders I've started on and I'm very excited about. One is a wedding cake topper and the other is a guitar. I can't wait to post pictures when they are finished.

Miniature Adult Orangutan Figurine

2009-09-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

This week I finished my first custom order on etsy. The lovely Jennifer gave me the opportunity to create this Miniature Adult Orangutan Figure for her.

The orangutan was made out of polymer clay, details with acrylic paints and a clear gloss finish. Then placed on a wood base for displaying.

I hope Jennifer loves this little orangutan as much as I did making it for her.

My hand's new friend

2009-09-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

All of the dolls I've done so far have hand-sewn cloths. Usually when I'm sewing I'm watching one of my favorite T.V. shows to pass the time. Plus, I don't feel like I'm being totally lazy sitting on the couch for about an hour.

But for a long time I've talked about how I would like to get a sewing machine. Figuring it would help me out making my projects go a little faster. Well, my sweet mother surprise me with a wonderful gift. She went to a consignment shop and found a 1960's sewing machine. It's beautiful and it works like a new one. I defiantly wouldn't want a new machine over this beauty.

So today was the first time I tried giving the sewing machine a run making some small cloths. First thing for sure I'm needing a little practice. But when I get the hang of sewing with the machine it's going to be like a dream. Plus, my mind is already filling with new possibilities of other crafts I can do.

My parents are very talented people and I believe some of their talents have passed to me. My mother is very good with sewing, crocheting and other creative projects. Where my father can rebuild a old car in to a new one and build a building from the ground up by himself. They may have two totally different type of talents. But I think they both play a big role of where I get my perspective on my projects now.

Lion and Tigers and Bears! Oh my!

2009-09-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping this weekend to accomplish a few things. I've got three new dolls that I need to get into cloths (Picture of Jack to the right). Two are inspired by the writer L. Frank Baum. I've been reading Baum's Wizard of Oz book series and they make my brain flow with lots of ideas. The other doll is of a sketch I drew of a sleeping goblin. I've been having a lot of fun with making these dolls. But making cloths is still new to me so it takes me longer to that part done.

Most of this weekend is going to be spent working on a custom order of a female orangutan. It's coming along really well and I think the lady is going to love it when it's finished.

Hopefully soon I'll have new posts of these little creations from my mind. Busy...busy...

Dreams & Depression

2009-09-21T17:03:00.000-07:00

This painting was done for my brother and sister-in-law as a gift. I really like doing art that is personal to the person I'm doing the project for. The only suggestion they gave me was that one liked color, the other liked dark and no cityscapes.

So one late night during the summer this idea came to mind and I went with it. I wanted the picture to have the feeling of the girl is dreaming or depressed. She's black and white as if she's faded into darkness. While the world around her is full of color and life. The feather means that her spirit still has hope.

In the near future I plan to have a few limited prints for-sale. It was one of my favorites paintings I've done in a while. I felt I had a connection to it and I had to use it as my banner for this blog.

Also, I started listening to this great podcast called Crafypod. The podcast has great tips and interviews of other artist. It's keeping me entertained as I work my long hours at my day job. You can also visit their website at Caftypod.com to find out more details.

Art Trading Cards

2009-09-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

Over the past weekend I had a blast painting on 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" cards. I took ideas that I had in some of my sketch books and recreated those on these cards. It's a fast and fun way I can practice painting. The cards are great for as gifts, trading or framing.

Come to me, my pretties

2009-09-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful surprise today when I got home. Karon (Wild Women Jewelry) included my Wicked Witch Bust in her Etsy Treasury called "Wicked" today.

Karon picked out a beautiful collection that is getting me into the halloween mood. I'm ready to pull out some scary movies and turn out the lights. Thanks Karon for including me!

Dusters

2009-09-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

I've been drawing Dusters for a couple years now. Sitting around with my sketch book drawing these little guys in different positions. In my mind they are fun, happy and bright creatures. They come out in the spring lurking in newly bloomed flowers. Tearing up flower beds as they run and play. Dusters are sneaky so you have to be really still to catch a glimpse of one.

So, one night I decided I was going to make a view. The green duster was the first one I made. I imagined him smiling as the spring breeze blew across his face. The blue duster is a little alert since he thinks he heard someone sneaking up on him.

But I really love Dusters and plan to make more of these little guys.

Construction:
Hand-sculpted and hand-painted without molds. Created out of armature wire, foil, ostrich feathers and polymer clay. Then hand painted with acrylic paints for details. Measurements 5 3/4" tall and 2 3/8" at widest point.

Etsy Store

2009-09-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to announce that I officially have my etsy store running. I've only have 9 items ranging from ornaments, small creatures, doll busts and art dolls. I put so much work into my art. I'm excited and scared at the same time since I hate parting my work. Everything I make is a little piece of my imagination that came to life. I want to thank all my family and friends for all the support you've been giving me.

Click to visit Handmade by Ashley Daugherty

Little Red

2009-09-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

Little Red is dressed and ready for her trip to grandmother's house. She's wearing her new summer dress with the bright red cape that was handsewn by her mother. Hopefully the wolf doesn't make his move today. Little Red won't be so sweet if that dress gets dirty.

One of my favorite things about Little Red is her shoes. What little girl has not had shoes like these.

Construction:
Hand-sculpted and hand-painted with out molds. Created out of armature wire, foil, polyfil, polymer clay, vintage fabric and detailed with acrylic paints.

Turtle Sculpture

2009-08-25T04:17:00.000-07:00

A lady requested me to make a turtle for her daughter and I was up for the challenge.

Hand-sculpted and hand painted without molds. Created out of armature foil and polymer clay. At this point I got to a stopping point with the sculpting. Now his ready to be painted. My favorite part since the paint brings the sculpture to life.

In this picture the turtle is detailed with acrylic paints. I wanted you to be able to see the details of the top and bottom shell.

Sprayed with a matte finish. Measurements 4 3/4" (head to tail), 3" (side to side) and 2" (height). The turtle is finished and ready to go to his new home.

Creating this sculpture was so much fun. It allowed me to see I can adventure in new directions. I appreciated the support from the lady allowing me to do this for her. I hope her daughter loves this turtle as much as I loved making it.

Abstract Carl - Art Doll

2009-08-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

Carl is an odd looking guy with his three eyes and crooked nose. Well, he should be since his from another galaxy. He came to earth only by accident and doesn't plan to stay long. Carl fell in love with the early 90's grunge. Wearing his black hoodie, ultra-wide jeans, and his knock off of converse shoes his ready to head back with a new impression on his planet.

Construction:
Hand-sculpted and hand-painted with out molds. Created out of armature wire, foil, polyfil, polymer clay, glass eyes and vintage fabric. Then hand painted with acrylic paints for details. This cloths are handsewn.

I came up with Carl while I was watching the T.V. show Roswell. The show inspired me to draw out a few alien characters. Carl is the first of my alien series and more to come.

The Magician - Art Doll Bust

2009-08-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

The Magician travels the world with his amazing magic show. From card tricks to his pet rabbit that pops out of his pocket. Children and adults are never disappointed with his act. It's his life to spread fun and joy where ever he goes.

I really enjoyed creating The Magician with all his little details. The busts I have found are easier for me to create compared to the full art doll. Plus, I get practice on facial features. The Magician is the first bust I have created. I have plans for many more bust in the future.

Construction:
Hand-sculpted and hand-painted with out molds. Created out of armature wire, foil and polymer clay. Then hand painted with acrylic paints for details.

Custom Dogs

2009-08-09T11:28:00.000-07:00

I've had a few pet owners request sculptures of their dogs in the past. So I thought it would be good to post a few pictures. I really enjoy trying to pull off the dog's personality in the sculpture. It's nice to make a sculpture that means something to the customer.
I do hope to make more pets in the future. I like to make them small so that they are affordable. They are made out of armature wire, armature foil, polymer clay and painted with acrylic paints.

The Blue Spider Monkey

2009-08-08T06:01:00.000-07:00

When I was in high school I had a love for spider monkey's. I came up with the idea of a blue spider monkey on a hill with butterflies flying around. My little brother was around 6 years old and he loved it. So the picture was framed and eleven years later it's still hanging on his wall today.

So this year I decided to recreate the Blue Spider Monkey as a sculpture for my brother's birthday. As sweet and innocent as the blue spider monkey was in the pastel picture. The monkey sits catching a butterfly on the tip of his finger. Happy Birthday little brother!

*All images, designs, stories and text are copyrighted, Ashley Daugherty 2009.

"Elm" Spirit Shaman

2009-07-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

This isn't an ordinary Spirit Shaman. Elm was named after the tree he was found in when he was a kit. His always on a journey in hopes to find his family or relatives. Since there is a higher risk of danger during the day. Elm only appears at evening dusk. While traveling at night he heals rabbits and other small creatures that may have been hurt on their daily journeys. He believes that his decedents originally come from humans and rabbits.

Elm's construction is hand-sculpted and hand-painted with out molds. His head, hands and feet are made from polymer clay. His body and limbs are made from armature wire covered with polyfill and nylon fabric. His legs and arms are poseable. Walking cane is removable and was hand-sculpted from polymer clay. Clothing was hand sewn from scrap fabrics.

Elm was created from one of my sketches. His is one of a kind figure and is not made for mass production. He will be included in my online store when it's up.

*All images, designs, stories and text are copyrighted, Ashley Daugherty 2009.

Introduction

2009-07-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

Above is a picture of myself painting an impression of another artist work.

This is the start of an on going blog of my art progress. I want you to feel that you get to experience how I create my work. You’ll see me jumping back and forth between projects of different mediums. I’m going to try posting a new blog once a week or more.

So you can get to know me. I started drawing as a child and it has built into an on going passionate love. I found the love of painting in acrylic and watercolor in my teen years. Then a couple of years ago in my early 20’s I started making OOAK art dolls. It’s a new love where I can take a drawing and turn it into a creature standing in front of me. Everything I do is original and has been drawn ahead of time in my sketchbooks. I’ve got so many sketches of ideas I don’t know how I’ll ever get everything created.

The home where my husband and I live can’t hold all my work. So I plan to open a store online where you can buy prints of paintings. Or you can buy an actual OOAK art dolls and other novelties that are handmade. There will be a wide price ranges so that there will be something for everyone. I also plan to do custom orders. So, I’ll keep you updated when the store is open so you can own your very own piece of my work.

But until then I hope you enjoy my blog and artwork that will be sharing with you.